Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 6, 2023 is: debonair \deb-uh-NAIR\ adjective

Debonair describes someone who may, by definition, also be called fashionable, attractive, and confident.

// Now a professional dancer himself, Raul remembers idolizing Gene Kelly, Gregory Hines, and other debonair performers as a child.

[See the entry >](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/debonair)

Examples:

“By trade, Malik Afegbua is an accomplished filmmaker. He is currently working on a Netflix docudrama about Nigerian textile designer and global fashion icon Nike Davies-Okundaye. … Recently, his artificial intelligence (AI) generated Fashion Show for Elders broke the internet and garnered international press coverage with its stunning images of debonair elders owning the runway.” — Ebony Flake, Essence, 20 Jan. 2023

Did you know?

Calling someone debonair is another way of saying they’ve got a certain [je ne sais quoi](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/je%20ne%20sais%20quoi), or to be more specific (and complete the rhyme): [savoir faire](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/savoir%20faire). Ooh la la! If this all sounds ultra [chic](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chic) to you, you’re not alone. French has a certain [cachet](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cachet), a fanciness and prestige owing in part to its deep etymological, historical, and political connections with English. This extends to many [French words that English has borrowed](https://www.merriam-webster.com/word-matters-podcast/episode-97-tips-for-frenchifying-your-french) outright or adapted, including debonair. In Anglo-French, someone who was [genteel](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/genteel) and thought to be well-brought-up was described as deboneire—literally “of good family or nature” (from the three-word phrase de bon aire). When the word was borrowed into English in the 13th century, it basically meant “courteous,” but today’s debonair incorporates [suaveness](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suave), [nonchalance](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonchalance), and maybe even a [soupçon](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soupcon) of [esprit](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/esprit) (carefree sophistication with a dash of wit).